Skip to main content

Chicago · 17th Edition

How to Cite an Article in Chicago Style

Learn to cite magazine and newspaper articles in Chicago format. Examples for print and online sources.

Share

Quick Answer

To cite a magazine or newspaper article in Chicago style (17th edition), use: Last, First. "Article Title." Publication Name, Month Day, Year. URL. Put the article title in quotation marks and italicize the publication name. Use the full date with unabbreviated month names — Chicago does not abbreviate months, unlike MLA. Include the URL for online articles. For print articles, page numbers are optional for newspapers but should be included for magazines when available. The footnote format uses normal name order: First Last, "Article Title," Publication Name, Month Day, Year, URL. For author-date in-text citations: (Johnson 2024). Example: Johnson, Sarah. "The Future of Remote Work." The Atlantic, March 15, 2024. https://www.theatlantic.com/future-remote-work. The key difference between magazine/newspaper and journal citations in Chicago is that periodicals use full dates without volume or issue numbers. CiteMe determines source type automatically and applies the correct Chicago format for journals, magazines, and newspapers.

By CiteMe Editorial Team·

Quick answer: To cite a article in Chicago (17th Edition), use this template: Last, First. "Article Title." Publication Name, Month Day, Year. URL.

Citation template

Last, First. "Article Title." Publication Name, Month Day, Year. URL.

Full example

Reference / Bibliography

Johnson, Sarah. "The Future of Remote Work." The Atlantic, March 15, 2024. https://www.theatlantic.com/future-remote-work.

In-text citation

(Johnson 2024)

Source breakdown

author
Johnson, Sarah
title
The Future of Remote Work
site
The Atlantic
year
March 15, 2024
url
https://www.theatlantic.com/future-remote-work

Tips

  • Use full publication dates for magazines/newspapers
  • Italicize publication names
  • Include URL for online articles
  • Put article titles in quotation marks

Common mistakes

  • Using only the year for dated publications
  • Forgetting to italicize publication name
  • Omitting URLs for online articles
  • Not using quotation marks for article titles

Before & after

Using only the year instead of the full date

Wrong

Johnson, Sarah. "The Future of Remote Work." The Atlantic, 2024. https://www.theatlantic.com/future-remote-work.

Correct

Johnson, Sarah. "The Future of Remote Work." The Atlantic, March 15, 2024. https://www.theatlantic.com/future-remote-work.

Chicago requires the full date (Month Day, Year) for magazine and newspaper articles, not just the year. The full date distinguishes periodical articles from journal articles.

Mixing footnote and bibliography punctuation

Wrong

Johnson, Sarah, "The Future of Remote Work," The Atlantic, March 15, 2024, https://www.theatlantic.com/future-remote-work.

Correct

Johnson, Sarah. "The Future of Remote Work." The Atlantic, March 15, 2024. https://www.theatlantic.com/future-remote-work.

The bibliography uses periods between major elements (author. title. publication). Footnotes use commas. Do not mix the two formats.

Abbreviating month names

Wrong

Johnson, Sarah. "The Future of Remote Work." The Atlantic, Mar. 15, 2024. https://www.theatlantic.com/future-remote-work.

Correct

Johnson, Sarah. "The Future of Remote Work." The Atlantic, March 15, 2024. https://www.theatlantic.com/future-remote-work.

Chicago uses full, unabbreviated month names (March, not Mar.). This differs from MLA, which abbreviates months longer than four letters.

Frequently asked questions

How do I cite a newspaper article in Chicago?

Include the full date, section if applicable, and URL for online versions. Page numbers are optional for newspapers.

What's the difference between citing a magazine and journal article?

Magazines use full dates without volume/issue numbers. Journals use volume, issue, and page numbers.

Related resources

Other Chicago guides